Shine To Class delivered when it mattered most in the Grade I KD Ladies Sprint, rallying from sixth early to seize command late and prevail by a neck. The 4-year-old gray filly went off at just under 7-1 for owner/trainer Our Athletes, with Gutierrez Mario aboard, and completed the 6 1/2 furlongs over firm turf in 1:14.12.

Race Recap

Shine To Class captured the $1,750.000 KD Ladies Sprint (Grade I) at Kentucky Downs, defeating 10 other fillies and mares over 6 1/2 furlongs on firm turf. The race was timed in :22.3, :45.2, 1:08.2 and 1:14.0, with Shine To Class recording an individual final time of 1:14.12.

Owner/trainer Our Athletes sent out the winner, and Gutierrez Mario handled the riding assignment. Shine To Class did not lead during the opening stages. She began sixth, improved to fourth at the second call, advanced to second at the next call and then completed the move by taking the victory.

Painville made a serious bid after tracking the early pace and actually held a narrow advantage at the third call before Shine To Class turned the tables late. Sitting Bulls Champ supplied the early speed and remained prominent throughout before settling for third.

The Running

Opening call — :22.3: Sitting Bulls Champ established the early lead by a half-length. Anoushka Titan was second, a half-length back, with Painville sitting third, three-quarters from the leader. Frozen Mist occupied fourth, Stellar Strength fifth and eventual winner Shine To Class was sixth, one length behind the horse immediately ahead of her. Eighteen Ninety Two followed in seventh, Sugar Queen eighth, Emily ninth, Itaintovertilitsover tenth and Borgin And Burkes was 11th. The opening stage therefore had Shine To Class positioned in the second half of the field rather than involved with the initial lead.

Second call — :45.2: Sitting Bulls Champ continued to dictate proceedings, again holding a half-length advantage. Painville had advanced from third to second and was now only a half-length behind the leader. Anoushka Titan remained close in third. The most notable advancement among the eventual principals came from Shine To Class, who moved from sixth to fourth. Frozen Mist slipped from fourth to fifth, Stellar Strength went from fifth to sixth, and Eighteen Ninety Two remained seventh. Emily improved from ninth to eighth, while Sugar Queen dropped to ninth. Itaintovertilitsover stayed tenth and Borgin And Burkes remained 11th.

Third call — 1:08.2: The complexion of the race changed substantially. Painville moved past Sitting Bulls Champ and took the lead by a neck. Shine To Class continued her steady progression, advancing from fourth to second and sitting just a neck behind Painville. Sitting Bulls Champ, after leading through the first two calls, was now third. Anoushka Titan held fourth, Stellar Strength improved to fifth and Borgin And Burkes produced the largest positional advance at this stage, moving from 11th to sixth. Frozen Mist dropped from fifth to seventh. Emily remained eighth, Eighteen Ninety Two fell from seventh to ninth, Sugar Queen was tenth and Itaintovertilitsover dropped to 11th.

Final stage: Shine To Class completed the sustained rally she had begun earlier, going from sixth to fourth to second before ultimately reaching the front. Painville, who had taken command at the previous call, fought on to finish second. Sitting Bulls Champ retained third after setting the pace through the opening two calls. Stellar Strength continued her gradual advancement to finish fourth, while Anoushka Titan completed the top five.

Borgin And Burkes maintained enough of her strong mid-to-late advance to finish sixth after having been last through the opening two calls. Emily, the post-time favorite, improved from ninth to eighth during the earlier portion of the race but ultimately finished seventh. Frozen Mist finished eighth after being much closer during the opening half of the contest. Itaintovertilitsover and Eighteen Ninety Two finished in a dead-heat for ninth, with Sugar Queen completing the field in 11th.

Each Runner Mentioned

Shine To Class — Sixth at the opening call, she progressed to fourth, then second, and finally first. Her sustained advancement produced the Grade I victory.

Painville — Tracked the initial leader from third, advanced to second and then took a narrow lead at the third call before being overtaken by Shine To Class.

Sitting Bulls Champ — Controlled the early portion of the race, leading through the first two calls before yielding the advantage and finishing third.

Stellar Strength — Began fifth, dropped to sixth at the second call, then improved to fifth and ultimately fourth.

Anoushka Titan — Raced second early, was third at the second call and fourth at the third before finishing fifth.

Borgin And Burkes — Produced a notable rally from the rear. After sitting 11th at both of the first two calls, she advanced to sixth at the third call and finished sixth. At 26.50, she was the longest-priced runner in the field, making the move from last into the upper half of the field noteworthy.

Emily — The post-time favorite at 7/2 was ninth initially, improved to eighth at the next two calls and finished seventh.

Frozen Mist — Held fourth early before moving back to fifth and then seventh, eventually finishing eighth.

Itaintovertilitsover — Was tenth through the first two calls, dropped to 11th at the third call and recovered to share ninth at the finish.

Eighteen Ninety Two — Raced seventh through the opening two calls, dropped to ninth at the third call and finished in a dead-heat for ninth.

Sugar Queen — Began eighth, moved to ninth and then tenth before finishing 11th.

About The Winner

The victory improved Shine To Class’s lifetime record to 15 starts, 8 wins, 2 seconds and 3 thirds, with lifetime earnings of $2,031.770. She is a 4-year-old gray filly by Welcome To Class out of Sunday Dress, was bred by Our Athletes in Florida, and is currently owned and trained by Our Athletes.

$2 Mutuel Prices:

Track: Firm            Time: :22³  :45²  1:08²  1:14
$1 Exacta: 5 – 1 Paid 38.40      $1 Trifecta: 5 – 1 – 6 Paid 792.10
Scratched: None

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES